Once I get to the other bank of cabinets, and if we can pin down our contractor (or get an electrician), the light over the sink will be changed and I'm going to try to get one over each cabinet in the soffits. New cabinet hardware is a want, but I plan to see what the Habitat for Humanity Restore shop has rather than spending on new pieces. This is a frugal project and this first phase was under $45.
I plan to get a new sink and faucet -- I'm thinking black enamel iron, with a brushed black or bronze faucet. That is a small splurge but easily rationalized because we will get it at cost. The current sink must be 50 years old or more. It's pretty beat up and I hate the chrome rim around it.
One bummer (or maybe it was a good thing), was that I spent a lot of time and used quite a bit of water cleaning the black paint out of the paint brush. Once that was done, I had laundry to catch up on. I found the basement slop sink full of black water! The house drainage was plugged up and I could not clear it. I guess it was good it happened when it did, since the black water conclusively proved that it was backing up from the sink.
We had a plumber come in and he snaked the pipes. That set us back $160. If there is another clog within a year or so, I'm thinking we'll have to get the pipe scoped. But for now, we are back in black and in business!
That looks really nice. Having help does not hurt! Can you put some vinegar and baking soda down the sink at night and put boiling water after it to keep the drain clear?
ReplyDeleteJust a suggestion. If you put the lights over the cabinet/in front of the cabinets, you will still have dark spots under the cabinets and your shadow to keep you from getting maximum light where you need it. My under-counter lights along with the light over the sink gave me plenty of light to work. I had wired in under-counter fluorescent lights that also had a button to push to turn them off separately.
Black faucets are all the rage right now! I was looking at new hardware. I found something I liked. But, when I put it against a surface, my fingers did not readily slip between hardware and the surface. I never would have imagined there would be such a difference. I could see ripping my nails off or continually scraping them against the drawer or door.
I am going to need to get some sort of light under the cabinets too. That would require much more rewiring though so I have been on the look out for either battery powered or subtle plug in LED alternatives. I do like using baking soda in drains but this is a double sink with a disposal in one tub. I think that keeps it from being effective. Also the plug is much further down than the elbow -- it was somewhere along the basement area. Maybe that was why that didn't work out to well? There is stuff called Glug that we have used, but it's a harsh chemical which I want to avoid. The pipes are 70 years old and are probably rotting, which I don't want to thick about!
DeleteThe double sink made it impossible to unclog his 70 year clog that the plumber said extended for a long way. In my house, the plumber put in clean out plugs in the basement, so that seemed like a good thing, but I never had to use them. They do sell the plug in ones for under the counter. I think under counter lights are the best thing I ever did to my kitchen when we remodeled.
DeleteThen I am going to ask TBG to get me those when he orders the sink. You are full of great tips!
DeleteSure hope you get a good contractor Anyhow do you know what style of light above sink will be looking at?
ReplyDeleteWe have a regular contractor who is good, but now really popular. I also know a young lady who does that type of work on the side. I did offer her a few small jobs once our virus status improves more. We do need to work on establishing a relationship with a good electrician. The plumber was at our house for the first time and we will call them again. He is small and independent, so his prices are way more reasonable that larger companies with bigger overhead.
DeleteFor the lights, we are going to go more industrial, I think.
It looks great! It sucks about the sink backing up but at least you got it fixed before it did damage.
ReplyDeleteThese are the trials of owning an old house. Any time we get away with less than $200 for a repair, I am thrilled!
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